This invention relates to tamper evident seals for containers which hold capsules, pills and other products which can be contaminated or tampered with. The recent incidences of contamination of drugs in capsules and other consumer products has created a need for tamper evident packaging for these and other various dosage forms of medicaments and other products for ingestion by humans.
One of the conventional methods of sealing containers for capsules, pills, liquids and the like usually consist of a plastic shrink sleeve around the cap and neck of the container. The disadvantage of this is that the sleeve comes off in one piece with twisting and removal of the cap. The sleeve can then be returned to its original position by carefully placing the cap on the container. Note prior art FIGS. 1A, B and C. A variation of this conventional seal is one that has a circumferential, intermittently perforated line on a heat shrinkable plastic sleeve just below the cap. Removal of the cap results in a clean break of the plastic along the perforated seam. This linear perforated pattern is easily matchable when the cap is replaced. Note prior art FIGS. 2A, B and C.
It is readily apparent that the above conventional sleeves or bands can be either easily removed from the package intact or severed along a seam and replaced without any evidence of tampering.
An object of this invention is to provide a tamper evident seal for the containers of such products which will clearly indicate if the container has been tampered with.
A still further and important object of this invention is to provide a tamper evident seal which provides a high degree of security against efforts to reseal the package once it has been opened.